You can get PEP from:

When you ask for PEP you’ll be asked a few invasive questions such as…

Who have you had sex with?

Whether you’ve had oral/vaginal/anal sex etc

If the other person definitely had HIV

They’ll also ask you to take an HIV test

But it’s okay, they’re just trying to assess what your risk of infection is. They do this because PEP involves a powerful drug and they want to be sure that you’re only taking it because it’s necessary.

BUT if you think you are entitled for PEP treatment, but you are denied, there are some options…

If someone tells you ‘PEP isn’t available to the general public’ ask to speak to the ‘on-call HIV doctor’. Or call the Terrance Higgins Trust on 0808 802 1221 and they’ll be on hand for help.

Taking PEP:

You have to take it exactly as instructed by your doctor! This is really important because if you skip a day, or don’t take it for the full month, the treatment probably won’t work.

If you miss more than 48 hours of PEP you’ll have to stop treatment all together.

Don’t double dose! If more than 24 hours have passed since your last dose, just take the next dose as normal.

NO recreational drugs – we don’t know how they interact with HIV medication. So, tell your doctor about any recreational drugs you’re taking, and don’t be embarrassed or hide anything. Also include any herbal treatments or over the counter medications.

8-12 weeks after your PEP course has finished you’ll have to do another HIV test.

Use condoms! Just because you’re taking PEP it doesn’t mean you’re completely protected, so use condoms.

Side Effects:

PEP is a pretty strong drug, so it can have some quite severe side-effects

prolonged headaches

diarrhoea

nausea

vomiting

If you’re already HIV positive, but you don’t know it yet, you could be at risk from developing resistance to PEP if you don’t take your dosage properly… this is something that you’ll need to discuss – with you doctor.

ALWAYS USE CONDOMS

PEP isn’t a ‘morning after pill’ and can’t work as a replacement for condoms. Condoms are cheap and also help the spreading of other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy!